Filming for the 7th season of ‘Doctor Who’ will begin on Monday and although Amy and Rory Pond will be joining the mad man with the blue box, fans already know that their time is almost over.

Although Karen Gillan, who plays Amy Pond, is sworn to secrecy and can’t reveal when or how the Ponds will be departing, she did share some thoughts with IGN about how the idea came about and how she feels about leaving the show.

Gillan has known for a while that Amy’s adventure would end soon:

“Actually, I called [executive producer/showrunner] Steven Moffat and arranged the dinner and then basically told him roughly when I wanted to go. He told me where the story was at and where it was going and then we kind of together came up with it. So it was really pleasant, actually. We had a lovely dinner and just kind of discussed what we both want and what’s going to happen and then came to the decision. That was ages ago, so I’ve known for ages!

I wanted to go on a high. Also, Steven Moffat comes up with endless, amazing ideas anyway, but I wanted to make sure that I went on a high when the character was at her prime. There’s just something quite nice and appealing about that to me. I don’t know… It just felt right! I like to go on instinct.”

As for whether she would be open to having Amy in a comeback appearance as some companions have done before her, she says:

“I really, really want to have a final exit and then be able to look back on that as a final exit. I don’t know… I just don’t want to take away from that exit by making cameos in the future. I’d quite like it to be final and for people just to remember it fondly.”

Gillan does hope in the upcoming episodes that Amy is in, that her story comes full circle from when she was first introduced in ‘The Eleventh Hour:’

“I want to see her go with everything that she wants, because initially, when we met her, she was just seeking what she wants, you know what I mean? And she was kind of in this lost, transitional period, where she didn’t have a stable life. So I just want to see her get what she wants.”

But she does definitely know when and how the Ponds are leaving as Moffat has told her:

“I’m not allowed to say (how many episodes I have left)! But I know they’re going to be damn good. It’s so exciting. I think it’s the best ever. I can’t say anything, but oh god, I’m dying to say something!”

With filming to start in a few days and the show not airing until Fall, this will be a long goodbye for Gillan and she shares her thoughts about this part of her career coming to an end:

“It’s so weird. It’s just so weird. I was 21 when I started this job and I didn’t really know what I was getting into. And then it just went crazy. It was this whirlwind. I’m coming out of the other end of it and I feel like a different person almost. And I just had the best time of my entire life doing this job. Honestly, I’ve got to say that. So obviously I’m going to be sad to be going and I’m going to be leaving my best mates behind. But you know, all things come to a natural end and that’s what the show’s about: Change. And you just kind of have to embrace it and go with it.”

Knowing Moffat, he will be writing a departure that will bring a tear to the fans’ eyes and will be most fitting for the couple. But until then, we’ll have to wait and see how it will all unfold when ‘Doctor Who’ returns to the small screen in the Fall.